Quote:
Originally Posted by equ
Have you driven a 10+ s4 with the rear sport diff? It understeers less than any awd car I've driven, 335xi's included. Actually it understeers less than a 911 rwd.
The current power split is 40/60 anyway, I doubt this will change the car dramatically. It could change the attitude under power, but quattros do not understeer on throttle anyway.
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I have driven an S5 with sport diff, but unfortunately not under circumstances that would really test the potential problem (like a highway exit ramp taken at speed.)
Looks like the critics don't think the tech solves the problem. But we may be talking about nitpicking I would never perceive. But, I dislike a nose-heavy feeling car, which the S5 might reveal itself to be over time. Other issue is steering feel. S5 goes to electronic also with this mid-model refresh.
From a comparo between RS5/M3/CTS-V:
http://www.caranddriver.com/comparis...mparison-tests
To counter its nose-heaviness, Audi applies a few chassis fixes that aim to give the RS5 a rear-drive feel. Fighting understeer is a stability-control system that attempts to stop front-end plow before it happens. It squeezes the brakes on the inside wheels to effectively drag those tires enough to pull the car into the corner. There’s also an active rear differential that can apportion power between the rear wheels to create a similar effect, or even oversteer. In normal conditions, all-wheel drive delivers 60 percent of the engine’s torque rearward, rising to as much as 85 percent, depending on conditions.
The net effect of all of these add-ons is that the RS5 feels more balanced than its engine placement might indicate—in most driving. But when approaching the limit, the chassis still acts more like a front-driver by exhibiting a higher degree of understeer and leaning on its front tires far harder than do its peers. It may be supremely easy to drive quickly—and a skidpad figure of 0.98 g is nothing to scoff at—but its competitors, despite having slightly less grip, offer better-balanced rear-wheel-drive chassis